JP2004046806A - Mouse - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mouse which eliminates an operation that turns on a microswitch on click. <P>SOLUTION: The mouse 10 is structured to include a photo acceptance unit 14, which is prepared inside the mouse 10, and holes 12a, 12b to illuminate the photo acceptance unit 14 inside the mouse 10 with external light. An operation, which is same as on click, is conducted by on-off operation of the photo acceptance unit 14. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mouse that does not require mechanical button clicks or rotation of a wheel for scrolling.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A mouse is used as a computer interface. Generally, one to three buttons are provided. For example, when there are two buttons, a click is detected by a circuit as shown in FIG. In the figure, it is assumed that the micro switch for right click is 22a and the micro switch for left click is 22b. By clicking the button, the microswitches 22a, 22b connected to the button are turned on. Points A and B in the circuit are at 0 V when the microswitches 22a and 22b are on, and have an arbitrary voltage (power supply voltage) when the microswitches 22a and 22b are off. The mouse control circuit 16 detects this difference, and determines right or left click.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
A finger needs to press the microswitches 22a and 22b when clicked. In addition, a reaction to the force is applied to the finger. Frequent clicks place a heavy burden on your fingers. Repeated clicks over a long period of time can lead to tendonitis in the fingers.
[0004]
In recent years, a mouse provided with a disk-shaped wheel for scrolling the screen of a computer has been released. In this mouse, scrolling is performed by rotating the wheel. However, if the wheel is rotated many times over a long period of time, the burden on the finger is the same as when clicking.
[0005]
Clicking may be a heavy burden for persons with finger disabilities. Therefore, you may be hesitant to use a computer.
[0006]
The notebook computer is provided with a track pad (input pad) that can perform the same operation as a mouse in front of the keyboard. However, like a mouse, a switch must be pressed in a click operation. A switch for performing a click is provided on a track ball or a track point similar to the track pad, and it is necessary to press the switch for the click.
[0007]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a mouse that eliminates the operation of turning on a microswitch when clicked. Yet another object is to provide a mouse that eliminates the wheel.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The gist of the mouse of the present invention is to include a light receiving element provided inside the mouse and a hole for allowing external light to enter the mouse and irradiate the light receiving element. External light enters the mouse through the hole. When light is applied to the light receiving element inside the mouse, the light receiving element is turned on. When the light receiving element is turned on, the mouse button is clicked.
[0009]
The gist of another mouse of the present invention is a light emitting element provided inside the mouse, and a hole for reflecting light from the light emitting element to the inside of the mouse or traveling to the outside depending on the presence or absence of a reflecting object, and a reflection. And a light receiving element for receiving the light. Light from the light emitting element travels toward the hole. When a reflective object such as a finger closes the hole, light is reflected. The reflected light is received by the light receiving element, and the light receiving element is turned on. When the light receiving element is turned on, the mouse button is clicked.
[0010]
The apparatus includes a plurality of light receiving elements and holes, and includes means for controlling scrolling of a computer by turning on or off the plurality of light receiving elements.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the mouse of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, a mouse using external light will be described. In this specification and the drawings, the holes 12 in FIGS. 3 and 4 include the holes 12a and 12b in FIG. The light receiving element 14 in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4 includes the phototransistors 14a and 14b and the photodiodes 14c and 14b in FIG.
[0012]
As shown in FIG. 1, a mouse 10 of the present invention is provided inside the mouse 10 and has a light receiving element 14 for performing a click on a computer and a hole for irradiating the light receiving element 14 inside the mouse 10 with external light. 12a and 12b.
[0013]
The light receiving element 14 changes its electrical characteristics by receiving light. For example, there are a photodiode and a phototransistor. The photodiode generates a photocurrent by a photovoltaic effect by receiving light. The phototransistor is turned on by the photocurrent. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the conventional microswitch is replaced with photodiodes 14a and 14b and phototransistors 14c and 14b.
[0014]
The positions of the holes 12a and 12b are provided at positions on the fingertip side when the finger is placed on the mouse. The size of the holes 12a and 12b is set to a size such that external light sufficiently reaches the light receiving element 14. That is, a hole is provided in a button portion of a conventional mouse. The holes 12a and 12b can be opened and closed depending on the position of the finger.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 3A, the position of the light receiving element 14 is a position in the mouse 10 at which light incident from the hole 12 can be received. If the position of the hole 12 is too far from the position of the light receiving element 14, it is difficult for the light to reach the light receiving element 14. If the height of the light receiving element 14 is sufficient, the table 15 need not be provided. If the operability of the mouse 10 is not impaired, the height of the mouse 10 may be reduced. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the light receiving element 14 is turned on or off by opening and closing the hole 12 with the finger 20.
[0016]
The number of light receiving elements 14 and holes 12 may be changed according to the computer used. For example, the number of the light receiving elements 14 and the number of the holes 12 are each two. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the number is two each for right and left clicks. For right-clicking, the hole 12a and the photodiode 14a or the phototransistor 14c are paired. For the left click, the hole 12b and the photodiode 14b or the phototransistor 14d are paired.
[0017]
The mouse 10 includes a mouse control circuit 16 for detecting that the light receiving element 14 has been turned on or off. The mouse control circuit 16 detects a voltage when the light receiving element 14 is turned on or off. This voltage sends an on or off signal to the computer. In FIG. 2A, for example, when the photodiodes 14a and 14b are on, points A and B are at 0V, and when they are off, they are at an arbitrary voltage (power supply voltage). In FIG. 2B, when the phototransistors 14c and 14b are on, the points A and B are at 0V, and when the phototransistors 14c and 14b are off, they have an arbitrary voltage (power supply voltage). Upon receiving the ON or OFF signal, the computer performs a click operation on the display of the computer in the same manner as when a signal is received from a conventional mouse.
[0018]
In order to correspond to a mouse provided with a wheel, a plurality of light receiving elements and holes 18a, 18b, 18c may be provided side by side in addition to the light receiving element 14 and the hole 12. Although the number may be arbitrary, it is about 2 to 3 according to the shape of the mouse 10. The direction in which the light receiving element and the holes 18a, 18b, 18c are arranged is the same as the direction of the finger 20 when the finger 20 is placed on the mouse 10.
[0019]
As an example, when three light-receiving elements and holes 18a, 18b, 18c are used, the scroll speed is made to correspond to a low speed, a medium speed, and a high speed. For example, in FIG. 1, the hole 18a, which is the fingertip most, is set to a low speed, and the opposite side is set to a high speed 18c. By closing the holes 18a, 18b, 18c, the light receiving elements corresponding to the holes 18a, 18b, 18c are turned off. Therefore, the mouse control circuit 16 includes a scroll control circuit for detecting the voltage at which the light receiving element is turned on or off, and transmitting the on or off signal to the computer. When the holes 18a, 18b, 18c are closed, the screen of the computer is scrolled at a speed corresponding to the holes 18a, 18b, 18c.
[0020]
Since the holes 18a, 18b, and 18c are arranged in the same direction as the direction of the finger, the holes 18a, 18b, and 18c are simultaneously covered. When the plurality of holes 18a, 18b, 18c are closed at the same time, the light receiving element is also turned off at the same time, but the scroll control circuit determines that the finger holes 18a, 18b among the plurality of closed holes 18a, 18b, 18c. , 18c are included. For example, in FIG. 1, when the low-speed hole 18a is closed, the medium-speed and high-speed holes 18b and 18c are simultaneously closed, and all the light receiving elements are turned off. At that time, since the hole 18a located at the finger tip is slow, the light receiving element of low speed is selected. In other words, priorities are assigned to the respective light receiving elements. The speed selection circuit selects the speed according to the priority. Therefore, when a plurality of light receiving elements are simultaneously turned off, the light receiving element having the highest priority is selected to be off.
[0021]
Although the scroll speed is determined by the above circuit, it is necessary to provide a direction determining circuit for determining the scroll direction. For example, in the mouse 10, holes for determining upward scrolling and downward scrolling are provided in the vicinity of the plurality of holes 18a, 18b, 18c for determining the scroll speed. A light receiving element is provided corresponding to each of the holes. The mouse control circuit 16 includes a circuit for detecting the ON / OFF voltage of the light receiving element and transmitting the ON / OFF signal to the computer. Note that the upward scroll is to scroll upward on the computer screen, and the downward scroll is to scroll downward on the computer screen.
[0022]
In addition to providing the scroll direction holes, the right or left click holes 12a and 12b may be used as scroll holes. A plurality of holes 18a, 18b, 18c arranged for scrolling are covered, and the holes 12a, 12b for right or left click are closed, thereby scrolling upward or downward. The mouse control circuit 16 includes a circuit for performing the above control.
[0023]
As described above, the scroll control circuit and the like included in the mouse control circuit 16 function as means for controlling scrolling on the computer.
[0024]
The mouse 10 of the present invention can click and scroll by opening and closing the hole 12 provided in the mouse 10 with a finger. There is no need to press buttons or rotate wheels, so there is no strain on your fingers. Even when used continuously for a long time, the burden on the finger is light.
[0025]
Next, an embodiment that emits light inside the mouse 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the light emitting element 22 is provided on the mouse 10 of the above embodiment. That is, the mouse 10 of the present invention reflects light from the light emitting element 22 to the inside of the mouse 10 or travels to the outside depending on the presence or absence of the light emitting element 22 provided inside the mouse 10 and the reflective object, particularly the finger 20. And a light receiving element 14 for receiving the reflected light.
[0026]
As the light emitting element 22, a light emitting diode is used. The light of the light emitting element 22 is adjusted so as to reach the hole 12 of the mouse 10.
[0027]
By closing the hole 12 with the finger 20, light traveling toward the outside of the hole 12 can be reflected inside the hole 12. The light receiving element 14 receives the reflected light. After receiving the light, it is determined that the mouse 10 has been clicked, as in the above embodiment.
[0028]
Further, the light emitting element 22 is configured to emit light of a predetermined wavelength. In this case, the light receiving element 14 is an element that is turned on or off in response to light of the wavelength emitted from the light emitting element 22. Therefore, when the hole 12 is not covered with the finger 20, the light receiving element 14 does not react to external light that enters the inside of the mouse 10.
[0029]
The configuration corresponding to the wheel of the mouse 10 is also configured so that the light receiving element receives the light of the light emitting element.
[0030]
Even when the light emitting element 22 is provided, the burden on the finger is small when the click is performed. It is easy to use the mouse 10 for a long time. Further, even in a place where ambient light is weak, since the light emitting element 22 is provided, the mouse 10 can be reliably operated.
[0031]
Although the above embodiment is a general mouse, an input device of a notebook computer such as a track pad or a trackball of the notebook computer will be described. Instead of pressing a switch such as a track pad, a hole and a light receiving element are provided in the same manner as in the mouse described above. Further, by providing a circuit similar to the mouse control circuit, the same operation as that of the mouse can be performed. That is, a click can be performed by closing a hole provided in the notebook computer with a finger. Since the burden on the finger is small, long-term use is easy.
[0032]
In recent years, there is a case where a wheel for controlling scrolling is provided between two buttons of a trackpad. Also in the present invention, similarly to the wheel described above, a hole for controlling scrolling, a light receiving element, and a circuit corresponding to a mouse control circuit may be provided. Therefore, scrolling can be performed by closing the hole.
[0033]
Note that, in the input device of the notebook computer, the light receiving element may be either a mode using external light or a mode using reflected light from the light emitting element.
[0034]
The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, in FIG. 4, light is reflected by the finger 20, but a reflecting material may be attached to the fingertip.
[0035]
Dust may enter the inside of the mouse 10 through the hole 12 provided in the mouse 10, and the light receiving sensitivity of the light receiving element 14 may be deteriorated. Therefore, the hole 12 may be covered with a resin through which light passes to prevent dust from entering.
[0036]
Further, the resin through which the light is transmitted may be changed to a lens. Light that has entered the inside of the mouse 10 through the hole 12 is collected by the lens and reaches the light receiving element 14. The light collected at the position of the light receiving element 14 is focused. Light energy concentrates on the light receiving element 14. The light receiving element 14 easily reacts, and the light receiving element 14 easily works even with a small amount of light.
[0037]
The light receiving element 14 may be an element whose electrical characteristics change due to light absorption. For example, there is a planar transistor such as an MESFET (Metal Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) or the like, in which the depletion layer changes when light is applied to the depletion layer near the gate, and the electrical characteristics change.
[0038]
Although the button is clicked when the hole 12 is covered with the finger 20, it may be clicked when the hole 12 is opened. In this case, the voltage detected by the mouse control circuit 16 is opposite to that in the above embodiment.
[0039]
A description will be given of other embodiments of the plurality of light receiving elements and holes corresponding to the wheel. When three holes are provided, each hole is upward, downward, and scroll. By closing scrolling and upward at the same time, the screen is scrolled upward on the computer screen. By scrolling and closing in the downward direction at the same time, the screen is scrolled downward on the computer screen. In order to perform the above control, the mouse control circuit includes a circuit that generates a signal that determines a scroll and its direction by a combination of electric signals generated by turning on or off a plurality of light receiving elements. The mouse control circuit sends the signal to the computer, and scrolling is performed on the computer screen.
[0040]
The scroll speed may be controlled by an electrical change at the moment when the light receiving element is turned on or off. As shown in FIG. 5, the shapes of the hole 24 and the light receiving element are vertically elongated with respect to the direction of the mouse. When closing the hole 24 with a finger, the hole is gradually closed over time. The light reception of the light receiving element gradually decreases. Therefore, the electrical characteristics of the light receiving element gradually change. By determining the speed of this change, the scroll speed is determined. Therefore, the mouse control circuit includes a circuit that determines the speed of change in the electrical characteristics and generates a signal that determines the scroll speed. When the speed of closing the hole 24 is high, the scroll speed is controlled to be high, and when the speed is low, the scroll speed is controlled to be low. The mouse control circuit sends the signal to the computer, and scrolling is performed on the computer screen.
[0041]
The scrolling may be controlled by the on / off switching speed of the light receiving element other than the electrical change at the moment when the light receiving element is turned on or off. By continuously opening and closing the hole with a finger, the light receiving element is intermittently turned on / off. By this on / off switching, an electrical specific change of the light receiving element occurs continuously. By detecting this change, the scroll speed is determined. If the change is fast, the scroll speed is increased, and if the change is slow, the scroll speed is decreased. Therefore, a circuit for detecting a change speed and calculating a scroll speed corresponding to the change speed is provided in the mouse control circuit. The mouse control circuit sends the calculated scroll speed to the computer. The computer scrolls at the scroll speed on the screen.
[0042]
Further, a plurality of holes are sequentially closed with a finger. A mode in which the timing of closing the hole is determined so as to correspond to the rotation of the wheel. Therefore, the mouse includes a circuit that calculates the on / off timing of a plurality of light receiving elements arranged in a line. This circuit is included in the mouse control circuit described above. The moving speed of the finger on the plurality of aligned holes is determined by determining the ON or OFF timing of each light receiving element. This speed corresponds to the rotation speed of the wheel.
[0043]
Further, the above circuit may be provided with a circuit for calculating the moving distance of the finger from the timing of turning on or off the light receiving element. When the opening and closing of the holes is stopped halfway among the plurality of arranged holes, the ON / OFF of the light receiving element is also stopped halfway. Therefore, the moving distance of the finger is obtained by calculating the number of light receiving elements turned on and off. This corresponds to the turning distance of the wheel.
[0044]
Further, a circuit is provided for determining the order in which the light receiving elements are turned on or off from the above timing. This circuit determines the direction of rotation of the conventional wheel and determines the direction of scrolling.
[0045]
Although a plurality of light receiving elements and holes are provided for the scroll, the number of light receiving elements and holes may be one if the scroll speed is constant.
[0046]
Regarding the scroll mode, in the above-described embodiment, the holes are arranged in the direction of the finger, but other directions may be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the holes 26 may be arranged in a Y-shape. The plurality of holes 26 are divided in two directions because one is for high-speed scrolling and the other is for low-speed scrolling.
[0047]
A light-emitting diode may be provided at a position easily visible near the hole. The light emitting diode emits light when a click is made. Therefore, the mouse is provided with a circuit for turning on the light emitting diode by turning on or off the light receiving element. When a click operation is performed with a finger and a click is not performed on the computer screen, it is possible to determine whether the mouse is malfunctioning or the computer is malfunctioning.
[0048]
In a conventional mouse, when a micro switch is pressed by a click, a mechanical sound of the micro switch sounds, and the click can be confirmed by ear. Therefore, in the present invention, a sound may be generated when a mouse is clicked. For example, a mouse, a speaker, a memory storing data of sounds to be heard from the speaker, and a sound source including a control unit for controlling the speaker are provided, and the sound source is connected to the mouse control circuit 16 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. I do. The mouse control circuit 16 includes means for sending a signal to a sound source when the light receiving element 14 is turned on or off. When the mouse control circuit 16 detects that the light receiving element 14 is on or off, the mouse control circuit 16 sends a signal for sounding to the sound source. When the sound source receives the signal, the control means sends sound data to the speaker, and the sound is emitted from the speaker. A sound sounds as if a mouse with a macro switch was clicked, and it can be confirmed that the click was made. The control means comprises a program or an electronic circuit stored in the memory.
[0049]
The same sound as when the mouse is clicked may be produced by a method other than providing a sound source on the mouse. For example, a computer is provided with a sound source. The sound source includes a speaker that emits sound, sound data stored in storage means such as a hard disk, and control means that receives a signal from the mouse control circuit 16 and sends sound data to the speaker. A signal is sent from the mouse control circuit 16 to the computer, sound data is sent to the speaker by the control means, and the sound is emitted from the speaker. The control means is constituted by a program or an electronic circuit stored in the hard disk.
[0050]
A partition plate for each light receiving element 14 may be provided in the mouse 10. That is, by providing a partition plate between the right-click and left-click light-receiving elements 14, light incident from the holes 12a can affect the light-receiving elements 14b and 14d in addition to the light-receiving elements 14a and 14c. There is no. The same applies to a plurality of holes 18a, 18b, 18c provided for scrolling. Further, instead of providing the partition plate, an optical path wave path (optical fiber or the like) may be provided from the hole 12 to the light receiving element 14, and the light may be received from each hole 12 to the light receiving element 14 corresponding to the hole.
[0051]
In addition, the present invention can be implemented in various modified, modified, and changed modes based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention.
[0052]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, it is not necessary to press the micro switch when the mouse is clicked, and the burden on the finger is small. The finger can be prevented from becoming tendonitis.
[0053]
When a light emitting element is provided inside, it can be used in a place where light is weak. Further, by configuring the light emitting element and the light receiving element to use light of a specific frequency, the light receiving element does not react with light outside the mouse.
[0054]
By arranging the plurality of holes and the light receiving elements, it becomes a substitute for the wheel, and similarly to the above, the burden on the finger when scrolling is reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a mouse of the present invention.
2A and 2B are circuit diagrams for detecting a click, wherein FIG. 2A is a diagram using a photodiode, and FIG. 2B is a diagram using a phototransistor.
3A and 3B are side sectional views of the mouse of the present invention, wherein FIG. 3A is a diagram in which external light is incident, and FIG. 3B is a diagram in which a hole is closed by a finger.
FIG. 4 is a diagram in which a light emitting element is provided inside.
FIG. 5 is a partial top view of a mouse provided with a vertically long hole.
FIG. 6 is a partial top view of the mouse when scroll holes are provided in two directions.
FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram for detecting a click on a conventional mouse.
[Explanation of symbols]
10: mouse 12, 12a, 12b, 18a, 18b, 18c, 24, 26: hole 14, 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d: light receiving element 15: base 16: mouse control circuit 20: finger 22: light emitting element 22a, 22b :Microswitch

Claims (3)

A mouse used as a computer interface,
A light receiving element provided inside the mouse,
A hole for allowing external light to enter the inside of the mouse and irradiating the light receiving element,
Including mouse. A mouse used as a computer interface,
A light emitting element provided inside the mouse,
Depending on the presence or absence of a reflecting object, a hole for reflecting the light from the light emitting element inside the mouse or traveling outside,
A light receiving element for receiving the reflected light,
Including mouse. The mouse according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a plurality of light receiving elements and holes, and means for controlling scrolling of the computer by turning on or off the plurality of light receiving elements.

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